Back to EveryPatent.com
United States Patent |
6,115,958
|
Enderle
|
September 12, 2000
|
Head lice treatment protocol
Abstract
A tubular fingertip covering or cot made of latex rubber or other flexible
material is coated with a tacky or non-tacky adhesive that may include a
pediculicide preparation. After the operator's index finger is inserted
into the tubular fingertip covering, a layer or coating of adhesive is
applied to the protective covering. During inspection, the infested hair
is combed to expose lice and dislodge nits, which are then collected by
adhesive contact. Because the adhesive covering is on the fingertip, the
protected finger can follow the quick movements of the lice, and can
collect and retrieve lice and nits from between hair follicle shafts. The
fingertip covering is rolled-up or turned inside-out after use, thereby
permanently encapsulating the collected lice and nits for hygienic
disposal, without risk of escape or transfer to another host.
Inventors:
|
Enderle; A. Joy (3014 Whitehall La., Wichita Falls, TX 76309)
|
Appl. No.:
|
343155 |
Filed:
|
June 29, 1999 |
Current U.S. Class: |
43/136; 43/132.1; 294/25 |
Intern'l Class: |
A01M 003/04 |
Field of Search: |
43/1,124,132.1,136
2/21,163
294/25
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
1261706 | Apr., 1918 | Condley.
| |
2379624 | Jul., 1945 | Chisnell.
| |
3018484 | Jan., 1962 | Koehn | 2/21.
|
3985383 | Oct., 1976 | Yonkers | 294/1.
|
4671303 | Jun., 1987 | Saferstein et al. | 132/11.
|
4815232 | Mar., 1989 | Rawski | 43/136.
|
4819670 | Apr., 1989 | Saferstein et al. | 132/156.
|
4914855 | Apr., 1990 | Sherman | 43/136.
|
5348153 | Sep., 1994 | Cole | 206/361.
|
5547665 | Aug., 1996 | Upton | 424/94.
|
5628142 | May., 1997 | Kitterman et al. | 43/114.
|
5634293 | Jun., 1997 | Mike et al. | 43/136.
|
5658750 | Aug., 1997 | Sheftel et al. | 435/29.
|
Primary Examiner: Lavinder; Jack W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Griggs; Dennis T.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. Apparatus for collecting lice from an infested person's scalp and hair
comprising, in combination:
a finger covering including an open end portion and a closed fingertip end
portion; and,
an adhesive material disposed on the fingertip end portion, said adhesive
material including a pediculicide preparation mixed with the adhesive
material.
2. Apparatus for collecting lice as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
finger covering comprises a tubular sheath or cot made of a flexible
material.
3. Apparatus for collecting lice as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
finger covering comprises latex rubber.
4. Apparatus for collecting lice as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
adhesive material comprises a tacky adhesive that is spreadable over the
finger covering to provide an adhesive coating on the fingertip end
portion.
5. Apparatus for collecting lice as set forth in claim 1, wherein the
adhesive material comprises a non-tacky adhesive deposit.
6. A method for use by an operator for collecting lice and nits from an
infested person's scalp and hair comprising:
(a) covering the operator's finger with a cot;
(b) applying a coating of adhesive material onto the fingertip portion of
the cot; and,
(c) contacting lice and nits with the adhesive coating.
7. The method as set forth in claim 6, including the step of rolling the
flexible cot along the operator's finger toward the fingertip portion,
thereby encapsulating the collected lice or nits within the rolled cot.
8. The method as set forth in claim 6, including the step of moving or
rolling the cot along the operator's finger until the cot is turned
inside-out and the collected lice or nits are encapsulated within the
everted cot.
9. The method as set forth in claim 6, including the step of parting the
hair with a comb or brush to expose the lice and nits.
10. The method as set forth in claim 6, including the step of applying a
damp towel to the infested scalp and hair.
11. The method as set forth in claim 6, including the step of soaking the
infested scalp and hair in equal parts of water and white vinegar, and
then applying a damp towel soaked in the same solution.
12. A method for use by an operator to remove lice and nits from an
infested person's scalp and hair comprising the steps:
(a) contacting lice or nits with an adhesively coated cot; and,
(b) turning the cot inside-out while encapsulating the collected lice and
nits within the everted cot.
13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the turning step is
performed by rolling the cot along the operator's finger, thereby
encapsulating the collected lice and nits within the convoluted roll.
14. A kit sold as a specific remedy for use by an operator for collecting
lice and nits from an infested person's scalp and hair comprising, in
combination:
a tubular sheath or cot made of a flexible material for covering the
operator's finger;
a container including a reservoir for storing a quantity of adhesive
material; and,
a deposit of adhesive material disposed in the reservoir.
15. A kit as set forth in claim 14, wherein the container is a resealable
container having an access opening for permitting the insertion of the
operator's covered finger into the adhesive reservoir.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to insect pick-up devices, and in
particular to a flexible finger covering that utilizes an adhesive coating
for collecting lice and nits from an infected person's scalp and hair.
Head lice (Pediculus capitis) are small parasitic insects that live on the
human scalp and lay eggs in the hair. The head louse is a wingless, active
insect that has six legs for fast crawling mobility. Its legs are equipped
with powerful claws that are used to cling to the hair shaft. The female
louse is approximately 2.4-3.3 mm in length (FIG. 4) and the male is
slightly smaller. The whitish-tan nits (eggs) are about 0.8 mm in length
(FIG. 5) and are barely visible without magnification.
Despite the availability of modern chemical insecticide treatments and
community eradication programs, head lice infestations remain endemic in
the U.S. Although head lice are not responsible for the spread of any
disease, head lice infestations continue to cause considerable discomfort
and social distress. Infestation is acquired mainly by head-to-head
contact with an infested person's hair and by sharing towels, hats,
pillows, combs, brushes and other grooming accessories. Head lice may also
reside temporarily on bed linen and upholstered furniture. The infestation
by head lice is known as pediculiasis, and the associated disease is
referred to as pediculosis. Chemical treatments directed against lice are
referred to as pediculicides.
Head lice derive nutrients by blood feeding at least once each day and
cannot survive for more than about two days at room temperature without
ready access to a living host. A nymphal louse hatches from its egg after
about eight days of development, and begins to feed, grow and develop
until it attains the adult form, typically two to three weeks after
hatching. A female louse may deposit more than one hundred eggs at a rate
of about six eggs per day. Generally, an infested person has fewer than a
dozen active lice on the scalp at any time, but may have hundreds of
viable, dead and hatched eggs.
The symptoms, if any, of head lice infestation are usually mild, with
itching being the main complaint. Occasionally, there may be excoriations
and crusting, and secondary bacterial infection with regional
lymphodenopathy. Those persons with only a very light infestation (1-5
lice) and those who do not react to the anti-coagulant serum that the
louse injects locally as it takes its blood meal may be without symptoms.
In such cases, the lice and eggs can be detected only by careful
inspection of the scalp and hair. The adult louse is usually found in the
hairline at the nape of the neck and behind the ears.
The female louse lays her eggs on a hair follicle shaft within 3-4 mm from
the scalp. The oval eggs are firmly attached by an organic cement
secretion that resists removal by unmedicated shampoo. The eggs take about
a week to hatch, leaving the empty egg shells still attached to the hair
shaft. As the hair grows, about 1 cm/month, the nit is shifted farther
away from the scalp. Since the hatched nit shells are empty, they are not
a source of re-infestation.
Currently, there is no satisfactory method to get rid of an infestation
except by chemical treatment. Compounds from several classes of
insecticides have been applied as shampoos, cremes and lotions to kill
head lice, including cyclodienes, DDT, permethrin, pyrethrin, Malathion,
organo-chlorines, pyrethrin and pyrethroid. The active ingredients of
these formulations act on the central nervous system of the louse and are
inherently toxic to humans as well. Given the toxicity of pediculicides,
there is a continuing interest in developing head lice treatment protocols
which minimize the use and exposure to potentially toxic compounds, and
which can be used effectively for eliminating infestation.
Moreover, because most of the currently available insecticides that are
applied topically have an underlying chemical similarity, if resistance
develops to one class, it may extend to some degree to all compounds,
resulting in difficulty in controlling infestations by chemical means
alone. Even if the toxicity of a particular compound is disregarded, many
products such as pyrethrin are contraindicated for persons with certain
allergies, for example to ragweed and chrysanthemums.
After treatment with an appropriate pediculicide, comb removal of nits may
not be sufficient to prevent reinfestation, since most nits are empty
eggs. Viable eggs are usually located too close to the scalp to be removed
with a comb and are best treated with an insecticide which penetrates the
egg and kills the developing nymph. In some instances, a second
application of the pediculicide within seven to ten days is recommended in
order to kill any lice hatched from eggs that were not killed by the first
application.
Because of their miniature size, and because of their location on or close
to the scalp, it is easy to overlook some active lice and viable eggs.
Although a fine toothed nit comb can be used effectively to scrape and
collect some nits and lice from the scalp, some viable nits can be
overlooked. Active lice can evade collection and capture and may
subsequently be transferred to the skin or clothing of a new host or will
reinfest the original host. Consequently, there is a continuing interest
in improving the mechanical devices for collecting, capturing and removing
nits and lice that remain after chemical treatment.
Mechanical removal of lice and viable nits is the most effective but most
time consuming method for follow-on treatment. Conventional mechanical
collection devices include combs, brushes and adhesive traps. For example,
U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,232 discloses a collector sheath combined with a comb.
The collector sheath contains deposits of adhesive in dimpled pockets
inside the sheath. As the comb is pulled through the hair, insects such as
lice and nits are separated from the hair follicles by the comb, and are
collected within the sheath. Some of the insects and eggs are captured by
contact with the adhesive deposits. The comb also includes a spring-loaded
door which prevents the live insects from escaping from the collection
space.
According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,293, a "fly swatter" device includes a
pair of folded sheets that are coated with adhesive. The sheets are folded
back, presenting a pair of adhesive faces for contact with a crawling or
flying insect. After use, the folded sheets are pressed together, thus
trapping and encapsulating the collected insect for hygienic disposal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,855 discloses an adhesive block that is secured to a
handle for trapping insects. Several layers of adhesive sheets are secured
to the pick-up face of the block. After use, an adhesive strip with a
trapped insect is pulled off for disposal.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,142 discloses a roller device including a layer of
adhesive for attracting and trapping insects.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention consists essentially of a tubular fingertip covering
or cot made of latex rubber or other flexible material that is coated with
a tacky or non-tacky adhesive that may include a medicated preparation.
The tubular fingertip covering is intended for pesticide-free lice and nit
removal and optionally as a medicated device to immobilize, kill, remove
and safely dispose of lice and nits. The fingertip covering prevents
personal contact with the lice and nits, and avoids personal exposure to
pesticides during collection and removal of lice and nits.
A layer or coating of adhesive deposited on the fingertip covering traps
lice and lice eggs upon contact. Preferably, only the end portion of the
fingertip covering is coated with an adhesive preparation. An operator
inspecting for lice manipulates the adhesive fingertip covering to trap,
collect and retrieve lice and nits from between hair follicle shafts.
Because the protective covering is on the fingertip, the covered finger
can follow the quick movements of the lice. When contacted by the
adhesive, the lice adhere to the fingertip covering and have little or no
chance to escape.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The accompanying drawing is incorporated into and forms a part of the
specification to illustrate the preferred embodiments of the present
invention. Various advantages and features of the invention will be
understood from the following detailed description taken in connection
with the appended claims and with reference to the attached drawing
figures in which:
FIG. 1 is perspective view which illustrates the application of an adhesive
coating onto a finger cot;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view which illustrates the collection of lice and
nits by the adhesively-coated finger cot;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view which illustrates the encapsulation and
disposal of collected lice and nits;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of an adult head louse (Pediculus capitis); and,
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of two nits attached to a human hair shaft.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described with reference to a preferred
embodiment showing how the invention can best be made and practiced. Like
reference numerals are used throughout the description and several views
of the drawing to indicate like or corresponding parts.
The head lice treatment protocol of the present invention includes one or
more applications of an appropriate pediculicide by shampoo, creme rinse
or mousse followed by thorough rinsing, combing, inspection and adhesive
collection. A typical post-application collection protocol includes
applying a damp towel to the scalp for 30-60 minutes or soaking the scalp
and hair in equal parts of water and white vinegar, and then applying a
damp towel soaked in the same solution for 15 minutes. Then, the hair is
combed and parted, using a fine-toothed nit comb. The hair is back-combed
toward the scalp to expose lice and dislodge viable eggs for adhesive
collection.
Lice, viable eggs and nit shells are then collected and removed from the
scalp and hair with an adhesively-coated finger covering or cot 10 as
shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. An operator rolls or pulls the
protective cot 10 onto the operator's finger 12 until at least the
fingertip joint is covered. The operator then dips the protected finger
into a container 14 of adhesive material 16 to produce an adhesive coating
18 on at least the fingertip portion 10T of the protective cot.
Preferably, the protective cot 10 is a tubular sheath made of a flexible,
elastic material such as latex rubber. The tubular sheath includes an open
end portion 10R in which the operator's finger is inserted, and a closed
fingertip end portion 10T. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG.
1, the adhesive material is a tacky adhesive supplied in a re-sealable
container 14. According to that arrangement, the tacky adhesive coating 18
is applied by dipping and spreading over the fingertip end portion after
operator's finger has been inserted inside the cot, immediately prior to
use.
Optionally, the adhesive material 16 may comprise a non-tacky adhesive that
is pre-applied to the fingertip end portion 10T and packaged within a
sealed foil container so that it can be safely stored and available for
later use. In this optional embodiment, the finger cot 10 with a non-tacky
adhesive coating is supplied in a partially rolled-up condition. After
removing the cot from the foil container, the operator inserts her finger
into the open end and unrolls the open end 10R along the finger until the
non-tacky adhesive coating is fully exposed.
By applying light finger pressure, the operator contacts the exposed lice
20 and nits 22 with the adhesive coating 18 on the fingertip end 10T of
the cot. After all visible lice and nits have been collected, the operator
rolls the cot 10 along the finger toward the fingertip 10T until the
collected lice and nits are encapsulated within the convoluted roll 10R.
Optionally, the operator rolls or pulls the cot along the finger until the
cot is turned inside-out, and the lice and nits are encapsulated within
the everted cot.
It may be necessary to remove one or more nits in the traditional fashion
with the operator's fingernail or a nit comb. If so, the collected nits
can be transferred from the operator's fingernail or nit comb to the
adhesive coating 18. For this purpose, the protective cot 10 can be worn
on a finger of the operator's left hand, while the operator's right hand
is used to manipulate a nit comb or a fingernail for removing and
collecting nits. Optionally, the nits collected on a fingernail or comb
can be deposited directly onto an adhesive coating on a separate cardboard
collection sheet.
Rinsing, combing, inspecting and adhesive collecting are repeated daily
until no visible evidence of infestation remains. Full treatment with a
medicated shampoo or topical creme is repeated at seven to ten day
intervals until no visible evidence of infestation remains. If treatment
failure should occur, as indicated by the presence of live lice on the
next day following initial treatment, treatment with an alternative
pediculicide is recommended.
After all visible lice and nits have been collected, the fingertip covering
is rolled-up or everted and removed, thereby permanently encapsulating the
collected lice and nits for convenient disposal, without risk of escape or
transfer to another host. These results are not always obtained by comb
devices, which operate only by a scraping and displacing action. Fugitive
lice can easily escape from a comb onto the hands or clothing of the
operator, and thus can be re-introduced to the infested person or
transferred to a new host.
One advantage of the adhesive fingertip covering 10 as compared to a
conventional nit comb or adhesive pick-up devices as described in the
prior art is that the fingertip covering can be quickly manipulated to
follow the rapid movements of the lice, and can also be inserted between
the hair follicle shafts for collection by adhesive contact with those
nits which are likely to be missed by conventional comb devices, and
capture fugitive lice which are likely to evade the comb.
A further advantage is that the fingertip cot limits skin contact and
personal exposure to the adhesive preparation, which may be medicated,
since the amount of adhesive coating on the fingertip covering and its
application can be carefully controlled and limited. Finally, the adhesive
fingertip covering, after collecting several lice and nits, can be
rolled-up or turned inside-out (everted), thereby encapsulating the lice
and nits for safe, hygienic disposal.
Although the invention has been described with reference to certain
exemplary arrangements, it is to be understood that the forms of the
invention shown and described are to be treated as preferred embodiments.
Various changes, substitutions and modifications can be realized without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the
appended claims.
Top